1. Technical Field
The invention disclosed herein is directed generally to fastening devices to secure one object to another, or to secure one or more objects in a folded, rolled, or gathered position and, in particular, the invention relates to an adjustable fastening device that provides mating surfaces for fixing in place clothing items and sports apparel.
2. Description of Related Art
It has become common for basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball players and other sports participants to gather the sleeves of their garments about the shoulder region while practicing and participating in athletic sports. Sleeve holders are especially popular among athletes because of the additional freedom of movement that can be achieved by gathering and holding the sleeves on the top of the shoulder. The users of such devices often suggest that the ability to pull their sleeves up on their shoulders also makes them feel cooler, which helps to prevent heat exhaustion and heat stroke. This makes sense because the upper portion of the arm, shoulder, and the underarms become exposed to the air. Older and larger participants, who would prefer to use sleeve holders, often find them uncomfortable due to the fact that they are physically bigger and therefore wear larger shirts and apparel. Unfortunately, this poses a problem with existing sleeve holders known in the art, as they are non–adjustable “one size fits all” in dimension, thereby limiting their use to younger and smaller users.
Several prior art devices have been used to secure garment sleeves in the gathered position, so that the sleeves do not fall during play. One such device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,925 (Reiber). The Reiber device comprises a strap having one fastening means at one end and a second fastening means at the other end. The strap is wrapped around the gathered sleeve, and the two fastening means are connected to one another to secure the strap in place. The two fastening means are located on opposite sides of the strap, and at opposite ends of the strap. The device also has a label attached to one side of the strap. Another such device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,691 (Henricksen, et al.). The device comprises an elongated strap of material having a first end and a second end. An elastic loop attached to the first end of the strap, and a fastener attached to the second end of the strap passes through the loop, folds against itself, connecting the fasteners and securing the folded end of the loop.
However, utilization of these prior art devices may be impeded as some sports and sport referees have disallowed the use of these prior art garment fasteners due to safety reasons. For example, some soccer referees have prohibited the use of sleeve holders produced under U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,925 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,691 because a player may get their hand or fingers caught in the garment fastening device, resulting in serious injury to one or both players. Also, the sleeve holder may become disengaged and fall off during sports play through multiple instances of physical contact with one or more players and/or the playing surface. The likelihood of this taking place increases if the fastening mechanism has been misaligned by the wearer. If the sleeve holder detaches from the player and comes to rest upon the athletic field of play, a player may possibly step upon and slip on the sleeve holder potentially causing serious injury to the player and others. The same scenario can be applied to athletes wearing caps or hats during an event. If the hat becomes loose and falls from the player's head on to the field of play, the player or other players may slip or fall causing potential injury.
Therefore, a need in the art exists for a device that has both an adjusting means and a dual locking fastening apparatus which can provide an adequate and safe restraining system so as to prevent athletic apparel from coming loose or falling off during sport activities and that can compensate for any misalignment of the fastening mechanisms by the wearer. Furthermore, a need in the art exists for a fastening system with a flexible utility that will prevent a player's hand or finger's from being unrealeasably caught in the garment restraint apparatus during the course of play and does not contain metal or plastic components which can expose the wearer and other athletes to serious injury.